Bio

4th Grade Trumpet - Moved to Bloomington, MN in 5th grade - promoted to the 6th grade band - Played in band through high school

7th Grade - First guitar - Lessons after school for a couple months

1979 - College - Brought my 7th grade "Hohner Contessa" guitar to UW-Stout and a friend made it "playable" - Took 4 semesters of guitar and became somewhat proficient

1988 - Bought a book called "Country and Blues Harmonica for the Musically Hopeless" by Jon Gindick - Changed my life!

1988 - Discovered the Gindick book - Mastered the material while making a 30 minute commute to work.

2001 - Went through a divorce and started to explore live music again - learning to live life as a single person

2002 - "Played Out" for the first time at an open mic - Floyd's in Victoria - Sunday nights - I was hooked!

2005 - Took some lessons with Clint Hoover - Thought I was pretty good and soon realized just how mediocre I really was...

2006 - Attended a  Jon Gindick "Jam Camp" - Dennis Gruenling was my personal "coach" for the weekend

2007 - Attended "Rockers in the Rockies" with Jason Ricci.  Met Paul Davies and Ronnie Shellist at this event. Chris Michalek taught me how to "over-blow".

2008 - Started Playing chromatic harmonica with the Twin Cities Harmonica Society. 

2009- Attended my first SPAH convention (Society for the Preservation and Advancement of Harmonica) in Sacramento, CA

2010 - SPAH came to Minneapolis - I was hooked!

2011 - Attended SPAH in Virginia Beach 

2014 - Attended the "Harmonica Collective" in Indianapolis, IN - Jason Ricci and Winslow Yerxa hosted this one.  Also PT Gazell and Ross Garren

2016 - SPAH - San Antonio, TX

2017 - Started the MN Blues Brothers with Randy Arneson. Had our debut performance on July 22nd - Part of the Midwest Harmonica Workshop   

2017 - SPAH - Tulsa, OK

2018 - SPAH - St Louis, MO

2019 - SPAH - Tulsa. OK

2021 - Palm Coast Harmonica Workshop - Jerry Fierro and Todd Parrot - also Rob Paparozzi 

2022 - National Anthem on harmonica at the St Paul Saints game!  (see videos)

2023 - SPAH - St Louis, MO - (60th Anniversary and my number 8!) 

2024 - National Anthem on harmonica again. Close to 6000 views on Facebook this time!

2024 - SPAH - Tulsa, OK - Attending with my sweetie, Paulette Huss!